Vehicle-wheel.



G. DORFFEL.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLIOATION FILED 0012a, 1908 WITNESSES 5 j INVENTOR 5f al-712% deargflazffel ATTORNEYS GEORGE DOBFFEL, O1? ERUITVALE, GALIFORNIA.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented AW. 16, 1910.

Application 'filed flctober 28, 1908. Serial No. 459,886.

shown, ten of said spokes ar radially pro- To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE Donrrnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fruitvale, in the countyv of Alameda and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Vehicle-Wheel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription.

This invention relates to a class of vehicle wheels which are mainly constructed of metal, so disposed that the .rim of the Wheel will have suilicicnt elasticity to absorb shocks due'to traverse on a rough road bed; and has for its object, to provide novel de tails of construction for a vehicle wheel of,

the class indicated, which afiord a strong, light, durable and practical Wheel, and which may be employed, for vehicles of heavy or light character.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the ap pended claims;

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this sp'ech fication, in which similar characters of refcrence indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front view, partly in sec tion, showin the improved wheel mounted upon an ax e; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of aportion of the improved wheel, taken substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig.1; Fig.- 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of details partly in section, the

' location of which is indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional detail view, substantially on the line 4-4: in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, substantially on the line 5-5 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 isv an enlar ed transverse sectional view, substan. tia y on the line 6---tl in Fig.1. 4

In carryingintocfi'ect the features of my invention as illustrated in the drawings, 10 indicates a; central hub for the improved vehicle wheel. The hub 10 is cylindrical, havin acentral bore for the-reception of an ax e 11, and is preferably formed with a plurality of bosses a, that project from the eriphery of the hub at spacedinter'vals. Ehe bosses a are centrally bored, producing. a socket in, each one, and into said sockets one end of a radial tubular s "oke 12 is forcibly inserted. Any preferre number of the bosses a and spokes 12 may be provided; as

jected from the hub 10.

A metal ring 13, having greater width than thickness, is a detail of the improvement, said ring having a series of spaced perforations therein, equal With the number of tubular spokes l2, and said spokes are inserted through the ring 13 before theyarc driven into the hub 10,-thus disposing the ring concentric with the axis of the bore in the h ab 10, and suitably spaced therefrom. l pon opposite sides of the spokes 12, two

plate metal rings 14,- are clamped upon said spokes 12 by means of bolts Z), that are each inserted through alined perforations 1n the rings and through intermediate spokes, as

hereinafter described, and it will be noted that the diameter or" the flat rings 14 is such, that they are disposed.v nearly central between the ring-i3 and hub 19.

"A. co-aeting ring 15 is employed, having a of spaced perforations therein, that receive the outer of the stationary spokes 152, said ring hem disposed concem,

trio with the hub 10 and ring 13.

The metal tire K'lilli l6 for the improved wheel is cont nuous, having proper width and thickness, and in its outer surfaces channel is formed, wherein a rubber tire 16, in flat ring form, is embedded as a completing detail for the wheel.

Preferably the thin rim 16 is formed with a number of c projected on the inner surface thereof, said evenly spaced bosses eachhaving a perforation formed therein, that is threaded in its defining wall;

A, number of tubular spokes 17, havin I like dian'ieter and an equal number W113 the spokes 12, have one end of each are teriorlv threaded for insertion into the run 36, bef ore the tire 16 is placed thereon;

(lent-rally between each spoke 12', where they are inserted through the resilient ring 15, slightly elongated perforations d are formed in said ring, as shown for one peroration 1n l lgs. 1 and 5, and In the when ring- 13, centrally between adjacent spokes 12, similar oblong openings 2 are formed, ,as appears at a sectional portion of Fig. 1.

The end the thread 18 formed thereon, is preferably made solid, said solid portion having a socket therein for the reception of a suitable wrench. I v

- In the construction of the improved wheel, the spokes l2"-tirl3 inserted into the sockets ortion of each spoke 17, where in the hub 10, first passing through the ring 13, then the spokes 17 are passed through the rings 13 and 15, alternately with the spokes 12, said spokes 17 then having their outer threaded ends screwed into the inner ends of the bosses 0.

RBfeIIlIl to the flat rings M, before mentioned, sai rings are clamped upon the inner end portions of the spokes 17 by bolts 5, and nuts thereon, said bolts each passing centrally through the clamps and the respective spokes specified.

It will be noted in Fig. at that concave clamping jaws Z) are formed or secured on the inner sides of. the clamping rings 14; said jaws enflbracing the spokes 17, distribute their pressure over the surfaces of the engaged spokes, so that the latter are not crushed when the nuts on the bolts 6 are ad justed so as to bind the rings 14: on the spokes that are engaged by said bolts.

Before placing the spokes 17 in position, two coiled springs '18, 19 are mounted. upon each one, the coiled springs 18 being seated upon the smaller resilient ring 13.

A series of semi-elliptical springs 20 copy the spaces between the spokes 12 and 17, and, as shown, two of said springs have contact at their ends upon opposite sides of each spoke mentioned. To adapt the end portions of the springs 29 for proper engagement with the tubular spokes l2 and 1?, said ends on each pair of springs are concaved in their sides that engage a respective spoke, and thus adapted to closely embrace the same, as indicated opposite the arrow or in 1'.

The convexsurfaces of the similar springs 20 have contact at their centers of length, and as shown for one pair of said rings in Fig. 3 an elongated slot or opening it is formed 'in one spring at its center, and a dowel pin 72. is projected from the similar spring that has contact with the one having the slot therein, the pin passing through the slot being permitted to play lengthwise thereof, but'is loosely embraced between the parallel side walls defining the width of said slot, this provision permitting the springs to have resilient eoiiperative action, and at the same time affording lateral support thcreto at their impinging centers,

Itwill be noted-in Figs. 1 and 2 that the coiled springs .18 that seat upon the smaller ring 13 are under sufficient compression for a forcible engagement with the corresponding ends of the semi-elliptical springs 20, which are thus impinged upon the inner surface of the ring 15, and it is to be understood that the springs 20 that embrace each detachable spoke 12 are retained in operative pos tion by their pin and slot connections with ad jacent springs 20. on the spokes 17.

Between the larger rlng 1.5 and the wheel mm 16, the coiled springs 19 are positioned comic on. thespolres'lll, and in the space between each pair of said spokes that are adjacent to each other, a semi-elliptical spring 21 is introduced;

The ends of the springs 21 are concaved so as to embrace the body of a respective spoke 17, andthe convexed surface of each spring at its center has impingement upon the inner 16, Within the recess in'the latter, and due to its constriction thereon is retained in place, the slightrou hness on the ends of the spokes 17 serving 0 prevent the tir'e from slipping around on its seat.

.lt is of advantage to lubricate such parts of the resilient wheel as have a slidable engagemeut with each other, and it will be noted that the stationary spokes 12 stiffen the working details of the wheel against lateral displacement, while the rings, semielliptical springs and spiral springs, coopcrate with the spokes 17 for the proper distrihutlon of load strain, and render the vehicle wheel resilient inv every direction under all conditions of service.

The generic features of the invention adapt it to receive such a relative proportion of parts, as will enablcthe construction of heavy, strong wheels capable of service as a part of the running gears for an automobile, or be built very light for other types of road vehicles drawn by horses, and be equally serviceable in either application of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7 V 1 l. A. vehicle wheel embodying a hub, spaced spokes, fixed on and radiating from the hub, clamping rings loosely secured oppositely on said stationary spokes, a ring concentric with the hub and through which the stationary spokes are passed outward, a rim, spokes extended inward from the rim between the stationary spokes and fixedly scoured to the clamping rings, another ring through which the spokes carried by the rim project, and springs carried by said spokes.

A vehicle wheel, embodyin a hub, a plurality of spokes fixed in an radiating from the hub, said spokes being evenly spaced apart, a ring through which the stationary spokes are passed outwardly, a rim having a channeled periphery, spokes carried by the-rim and projected inwardly be tween and evenly spaced from the stati0nary spokes, two clampingrings bolted opposite'iy on. the inwardly projected spokes, coiled pi'ingite nimmted. upon the spokes can tied by the irin'i, plurality of springs in pairs elnbraicing with their undo all the spokes, said swings at their centers having pin and slot connections in pairs, :1 SBCQKMi ring through ii liich the spokes carried by the rim pass, seini-elliptmai springs; nosed between rim and said ving, the ends of saic], impinging upon the inwardly-extended spokes, coiled springs on said spokes pressing between the meeting ends of the SGlTli--Giil[)i3i(j&i spring" and the rim, and an elastic tire ring mounted in the ehnnnei in the rim.

5-3. 11% a metal vehicle when of the character described, the plurality of semi-shiptical springs, having their ends conczweii at: adjacent sides, and their convex. surfaces: that meet at their centers conn :ted t by a slot in one spring and EL dowel p jected from the impinging spring.

' 4. In :1 Wheel of the class 'iesm k1 1i, :1 eentrnl hub spokes radiating ,m the'huh, n

rim coi'icentric with the hub, spokes oon nected to the rim and converging toward the hub, rings arranged intermediate the rim and the hub and spaced apart from each other, the spokes connected to the rim passing through both rings, and the spokes connest mi to the hub passing through the inner ring and engaging the outer ring, semielliptieel springs between the spoken, a coil spring at each end of the spokes eoi'inectod with the rim, the outer spring being arranged bet-Ween the rim and the outer ring, and the inner Spring being arranged hetween the inner ring and the adjacent ends of the semi-elliptical springs, the outer ends of said springs engaging the outer ring.

In testimony-whereof I have signed. my name to this s v ecification in the presence of two HliJSCYibiI1g Witnesses GEORGE DORFFEL.

Witnesses Ennnann M. SHAW, C. E. Bnown. 

